Koh Chang Island
Koh Chang means Elephant Island and is the third largest island of Thailand, Phuket and Koh Samui are larger. The island is named because the shape of the island resembles an Elephant’s head. The island contains several mountains, waterfalls, coral reefs and rainforests. Koh Chang attracts many tourists who enjoy hiking and mountain adventures. The island is also famous for its great diving and snorkeling spots, making Koh Chang one of the more popular dive destinations in Thailand. The clear waters and coral makes for interesting underwater exploring.
We had a good time on this island. There is one road that you can take that completely circles the island. The white sand beaches are amazing and the ocean water is warm so the best part was relaxing on the beach with an occasional dip into the ocean to cool off. The Thai natives on the island are very friendly and they work hard to take care of the tourists. There is a variety of hotels from cheap to very expensive, and most of the restaurants were affordable, however, we didn’t find much of a variety of cuisine to choose from. Most of the restaurants served seafood dishes, so come prepared to eat excellent seafood.
We took time to hike to a water fall, then rented a motorbike to tour the island. Compared to Phuket, this island seemed much smaller, it even felt smaller than Koh Samui. The entire island was more of a boutique setting compared to Phuket. One interesting adventure was visiting a village built on piers called Bang Bao.
Koh Chang nightlife is relatively good and can be found mostly in White Sandy Beach area, and also at the Lonely Beach, which is a party location for tourists. A group of bars in White Sand Beach known as “Little Pattaya” is a good place for fun and companionship.
The best way to get to this island is to take a taxi, bus, or van pool to the ferry port which is about 310 km (193 mi) from Bangkok. Then ride the ferry to the island. If you have a car, you can take the car on the ferry for use on the island.
Location: Island off the South Eastern coast of Thailand; in the Gulf of Thailand, close to Cambodia
Population: 5,500
Area: 217 Sq km (84 sq mi)
